Well it's not really true, then, is it. I can think of many good people who lived to a ripe old age just off the top of my head. Have you ever wondered where the expression originated though? No, no, It did not spring fully formed from the head of Billy Joel. It's a little older than that. Actually, it's a lot older than that.
It goes back to Greek mythology. In the Homeric hymn to Apollo, Trophonius, a mythological hero, built Apollo's temple at the oracle at Delphi with his brother, Agamedes. Once finished, the oracle told the brothers to do whatsoever they wished for six days and, on the seventh, their greatest wish would be granted. They did and were found dead on the seventh day. The saying "those whom the gods love die young" comes from this story. An alternative version of the story has it that they built a treasure chamber (with secret entrance only they knew about) for King Hyprieus of Boeotia. Using the secret entrance, they stole Hyprieus' fortune. He was aware but did not know who the thief was; he laid a snare. Agamedes was trapped in it; Trophonius cut off his head so that Hyprieus would not know who the body in the snare was. He then fled into the cavern at Lebadaea, and disappeared forever. Man, those Greeks could sure spin a good yarn.
Down through the years it came to be "only the good die young". So why do we choose to say something along these lines when we outlive someone younger that ourselves? I never have, but I've heard it said many times. I suppose the obvious reason is to honour them in death. Really though, isn't their "goodness" relative? How many times have you heard someone refer to a mutual acquaintance or co-worker as good when you hold the opposite view?
But we're not supposed to speak ill of the dead. Unless it's pretty much universally agreed that the subject was evil as could be. Still, it makes me wonder. I've never had any problem speaking my mind about someone who's died it I really do feel the world is a better place without them. I'm not so crass as to speak my mind in front of anyone who would take offence, but neither will I say anything good about him or her if I really can't think of a good word to say, and yes, there have been such individuals passing through my life. Let's face it; some people really do leave the world a slightly better place with their passing. There are many historical figures that could be named in this regard.
Evil bastards die young too, though. We recently had a paranoid gun-nut here in New Zealand who killed an unarmed cop and passer-by in cold blood simply because the police had come to do a search on his house. He shot the cop in the back as he was leaving to defuse the situation. He critically wounded two other cops, then barricaded himself in his house and spent two days taking pot shots at his neighbour's houses and the police until he finally turned a gun on himself. He was young. Not real young, but young. Good riddance.
There are plenty of other instances that come up in the news all the time. So the saying is patently untrue, and yet it continues to be a popular saying. Human nature, I guess. Me, I expect I'll live to be 203. :-)
